Merlin Cycles - Cookies
Last updated: 2nd September 2025
What are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files which your web browser stores on your computer. They are used for a variety of reasons, some essential, some not. They might be used store the items you have added to your basket for example (essential), or to tailor the user experience specifically to you (not essential).
The Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) sit alongside the Data Protection Act and the UK GDPR and covers the use of cookies and similar technologies. The PECR are sometimes known as the Cookie Law and sets out a number of rules governing our use of cookies. When we use the word cookie or cookies, we also mean things like local storage. Local storage is another way to store data in your web browser and the law applies to both.
The PECR say that we need to explain our use of cookies and give you the choice to opt out where those cookies are not essential for the your use of the website, it also says we need to list and explain what each one does.
Essential cookies
These are essential cookies, they make the website work, without them some or all of the website would stop working.
Affiliates
Sometimes we work with affiliates to advertise our products. If you arrive on the site via an affiliate link, the following cookie may be set:
| Type | Cookie / Key | Purpose | Key Role | Duration / Expiry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cookie | phg | Used to remember which affiliate you visited prior to your visit on the Merlin Cycles website. | Supports commission payments to affiliates. | 30 days |
We consider this to be an essential cookie; without it we can't fulfil our duty on behalf of affiliates, or pay cashback where offered.
Cardinal Commerce
We use services from CardinalCommerce (a Visa company) to support 3D Secure authentication for card payments. Interactions with CardinalCommerce's systems may set the following cookies to maintain session security and transaction integrity:
| Type | Cookie / Key | Purpose | Key Role | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cookie | __cfruid | Set by Cloudflare on behalf of CardinalCommerce to manage traffic and distinguish legitimate users. | Supports performance and security under high load | Session |
| Cookie | BIGipServerCentinel-Stag-Web-MethodDataCollectorWeb.app~Centinel-Stag-Web-MethodDataCollectorWeb_pool | Load balancing cookie used to route requests consistently during a session. | Ensures reliable delivery of authentication requests | Session |
| Cookie | JSESSIONID | Maintains a user session across multiple requests during the authentication process. | Enables session continuity and request state management | Session |
| Cookie | TS01a2985b | Security cookie set by the application firewall to protect against malicious activity. | Ensures application-level security | Session |
| Cookie | TS01e10304 | Another application firewall cookie for tracking and validating session integrity. | Supports request validation and session protection | Session |
| Cookie | TS0197a684 | Similar security cookie used for traffic inspection and integrity enforcement. | Protects application and infrastructure | Session |
Google reCAPTCHA
We use Google reCAPTCHA to protect some of the forms on the website. This is to prevent bots from overwhelming the site, submitting spammy information, and helps to make the site available for real humans to use. It sets a cookie to achieve this:
| Type | Cookie / Key | Purpose | Key Role | Duration / Expiry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LocalStorage | _grecaptcha | Used by Google reCAPTCHA to distinguish between humans and bots. | Supports site security and fraud prevention. | Persistent |
Merlin Cycles
We use local storage to store parts of the website and save you having to download the same information over and over again. We use cookies to maintain state with the servers.
| Type | Name | Function | Key Role | Duration |
| Local Storage | cookieConsentBanner | Stores the cookie consent banner. | Stores HTML | Persistent |
| Local Storage | countries | Stores details about the country you are in. | Settings | Persistent |
| Local Storage | currencies | Stores details about the currency you are using. | Settings | Persistent |
| Local Storage | customerServicesInformationHtml | Stores customer services information. | Stores HTML | Persistent |
| Local Storage | languages | Stores details about the language you are using. | Settings | Persistent |
| Local Storage | reasonsHtml | Stores the reasons to shop with us bar. | Stores HTML | Persistent |
| Local Storage | sessionData | Stores details about the country, currency, language you are shopping in. Also stores details about finance offers, and your basket. | Sessions / Settings | Persistent |
| Local Storage | siteBrandsDropdownHtml | Stores the list of brands used in the Brands Dropdown. | Stores HTML | Persistent |
| Local Storage | siteFooterHtml-en-gb | Stores the site footer. | Stores HTML | Persistent |
| Local Storage | siteGuidesDropdownHtml | Stores the list of guides in the guides dropdown. | Stores HTML | Persistent |
| Local Storage | siteNavigationHtml | Stores the navigation bar for the site. | Stores HTML | Persistent |
| Local Storage | siteRegionalSettingsHtml | Stores a list of regional settings, allowing you to change your region. | Stores HTML | Persistent |
| Local Storage | videoModalHtml | Stores the modal used to display videos and to check for cookie consent before playing embedded YouTube videos, | Stores HTML | Persistent |
| Cookie | Merlin_Session_ID_1 | This is your session ID. It tracks whether you are logged in, your basket contents and who you are. | Session | Persistent |
| Cookie | Merlin_Settings | Stores the country, currency, language you are shopping in. | Settings | Persistent |
| Cookie | PopupMerlinEuSignUp | Stores whether you have closed the MerlinEu popup to prevent the popup reappearing on every page. | Settings | 5 mins |
PayPal
We use a Braintree, a PayPal company, to power our checkout. PayPal and Braintree need set some cookies to support the checkout:
| Type | Cookie / Key | Purpose | Key Role | Duration / Expiry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LocalStorage | paypal_global_5_0_502_storage | Used by PayPal to support payment functionality and user session data. | Enables secure and seamless PayPal checkout | Persistent |
| LocalStorage | paypal_storage | Stores PayPal-related preferences and session information. | Maintains user preferences for PayPal | Persistent |
Non-essential cookies
Some of the cookies we use don't affect the usability of the site and are therefore non-essential, these are analytics and marketing cookies.
We use a Facebook cookie to help show you more relevant ads and understand how our campaigns are doing:
| Type | Cookie / Key | Purpose | Key Role | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cookie | _fbp | Used by Facebook to deliver a series of advertisement products such as real-time bidding from third-party advertisers. | Supports targeted advertising and retargeting. | 90 days (typically) |
Google Ads
We use Google Ads to run targeted advertising campaigns and reach people who might be interested in our services. These tools help us show relevant ads, track their performance, and improve how we connect with potential customers.
| Type | Cookie / Key | Purpose | Key Role | Duration / Expiry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LocalStorage | _gcl_ls | Used by Google to store and track conversions from ads | Supports advertising attribution | 90 days |
Google Analytics
Most, if not all, ecommerce businesses use some form of analytics to understand how visitors interact with a website. Storing a cookie helps website owners do this by tying together actions that customers make on the website. Their main purpose is to help website owners understand user behavior so they can improve site performance, content, and user experience. Analytics cookies are used to
- Track user behavior:
- Pages visited
- Time spent on each page
- Clicks, scrolls, and navigation paths
- Measure website performance:
- Page load times
- Bounce rates (how many users leave quickly)
- Conversion rates (e.g., completing a form or purchase)
- Identify and fix problems:
- Broken links
- Pages with high drop-off rates
- Technical issues affecting user experience
- Understand audience demographics and sources:
- User location (country, city)
- Device and browser type
- Referral sources (search engines, social media, direct traffic)
We use Google Analytics and it sets a number of cookies:
| Type | Cookie | Purpose | Key Role | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cookie | __Secure-ENID | Remember user settings | Functionality & security | ~13 months |
| Cookie | AEC | Validate user session | Security against CSRF/abuse | ~6 months |
| Cookie | NID | Save search preferences | Functionality & personalization | ~6 months |
| Cookie | SOCS | Store cookie consent choices | Compliance & privacy management | ~13 months |
| Cookie | OTZ | Aggregates cross-device behavior to unify ad experiences and aid in conversion tracking | Analytics & advertising | ~30 days / 1 month |
| Cookie | _ga | Used to distinguish users by assigning a unique client ID. | Tracks unique visitors and sessions. | 2 years |
| Cookie | _gid | Also used to distinguish users, but on a shorter time frame. | Tracks user behavior on a daily basis. | 24 hours |
| Cookie | _gat_UA-995886-3 | A throttling cookie used to limit the amount of data sent to Google Analytics. | Prevents overload of tracking requests. | 1 minute |
| Cookie | _ga_E612DNZPXW> | A property-specific cookie used by Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to persist session state. | Tracks session data for a specific GA4 setup. | 2 years (by default) |
Google Certified Shop / Google Customer Reviews
We use Google Certified Shop, also known as Google Customer Reviews to collect reviews. Google Certified Shop sets the following cookies.
| Type | Cookie / Key | Purpose | Key Role | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cookie | __gcs | Used to track participation in the Google Certified Shops program. | Supports order tracking and verification | Varies (typically 90 days) |
| Cookie | __gpi | Stores user interaction data with the Google Certified Shop badge. | Helps measure performance and trust | 13 months |
| Cookie | CONSENT | Stores user cookie consent preferences. | Ensures compliance with privacy laws | 2 years |
TrustPilot
We use Trustpilot to display customer reviews. When interacting with Trustpilot widgets embedded on our site, the following cookies may be set:
| Type | Cookie / Key | Purpose | Key Role | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cookie | _tp | Identifies user interactions with Trustpilot widgets and helps deliver relevant content. | Supports user session management and analytics | Session |
| Cookie | __cf_bm | Set by Cloudflare on behalf of Trustpilot to manage bot traffic. | Ensures site security and bot management | 30 minutes |
| Cookie | trustpilot_user | Identifies logged-in Trustpilot users to personalize interactions or pre-fill review forms. | Enhances user experience and personalization | ~365 days (≈ 1 year) |
| Cookie | OptanonConsent | Stores user consent preferences regarding cookies. | Manages cookie consent and compliance | ~365 days (≈ 1 year) |
| Cookie | OptanonAlertBoxClosed | Remembers if the user has closed the cookie consent banner. | Prevents repeated display of consent message | ~365 days (≈ 1 year) |
| Cookie | _csrf | Security token used to prevent cross-site request forgery (CSRF) attacks. | Maintains security of forms and requests | Session |
| Cookie | TP.uuid | Unique identifier for a user session, often used for analytics and widget functionality. | Supports review widget tracking and personalization | ~365 days (≈ 1 year) |
YouTube
We use YouTube to host product videos. Playing an embedded YouTube video sets the following cookies:
| Type | Cookie / Key | Purpose | Key Role | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cookie | __Secure-ROLLOUT_TOKEN | Used by YouTube to manage phased rollout of new features, assigning users to experimental test groups for controlled release of updates. | Supports feature rollout and experimentation control | ~180 days (≈ 6 months) |
| Cookie | VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE | Estimates user's bandwidth on pages with embedded YouTube videos and helps choose between new or old video player interface. | Bandwidth detection and player interface adaptation | ~179–365 days (≈ 6 months) |
| Cookie | VISITOR_PRIVACY_METADATA | Stores the user's cookie consent state (or associated metadata) for the current domain to enforce privacy preferences. | Tracks and preserves user's privacy consent settings | ~6 months (≈ 180 days) |
| Cookie | YSC | Tracks embedded YouTube video views and interactions during a browsing session. | Session-level view tracking and user activity logging | Session (expires when browser is closed) |
| Local Storage | yt-player-bandwidth | Records the viewer's network bandwidth or conditions for optimizing video playback settings or quality. | Video playback optimization based on bandwidth estimation | Persistent until cleared (browser-managed) |
| Local Storage | yt-player-user-settings | Stores user-specific player configuration settings (e.g. captions, playback speed, and preferences). | Maintains custom playback preferences | Persistent until cleared (browser-managed) |
| Local Storage | yt-remote-connected-devices | Stores data on devices connected for remote playback (e.g. via casting). | Supports remote device syncing and playback | Persistent until cleared (browser-managed) |
| Local Storage | yt-remote-device-id | Stores unique ID for a remote playback device associated with this browser. | Identifies remote device for casting | Persistent until cleared (browser-managed) |
| Local Storage | ytidb::LAST_RESULT_ENTRY_KEY | Stores the last search result entry clicked by the user to improve subsequent experience and SERP relevance. | Enhances search relevance by tracking user’s last clicked item | Persistent until cleared (browser-managed) |
Those are the ones we know about, YouTube may vary the cookies they set from time to time.
Where a visitor has opted out of cookies we'll prompt you to accept cookies before playing the video, and offer you the option to play the video directly on YouTube which will allow to set your cookie preferences.
Further Information:
- All About Cookies
- Our own Privacy Policy